US fighter jet crashes in eastern Libya

A U.S. military jet crashed in Libya after an equipment malfunction but its two crew members ejected and are safe and back in American hands, the U.S. military said Tuesday.

Suhaib Salem / Reuters

People look at a U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet on Tuesday, March 22, after it crashed on Monday night near the eastern city of Benghazi, Libya. The jet crashed after an apparent mechanical failure but its crew were safe, a spokesman for the U.S. military Africa Command said on Tuesday.

Both crew members used parachutes to eject from the F-15E Strike Eagle jet at high altitudes and sustained minor injuries, Vince Crawley, a spokesman for the Africa Command, told The Associated Press.

The airmen were separated because they ended up in different areas, he said, adding that the crash was likely caused by mechanical failure and not hostile fire.

Suhaib Salem / Reuters

The wreckage of a U.S. Air Force F-15E fighter jet on March 22. It crashed near the eastern city of Benghazi on March 21.